Green Hope’s Bryce Dixon thrilled for football future at NC State

Green Hope head coach Kwame Dixon spoke father to son one day last summer as he went off to work. He wanted his son, Bryce, to get off the couch and do something.

But he had more in mind than just getting outside. The fifth-year coach told Bryce, a Falcons senior wide receiver and tight end this season, to attend N.C. State’s football camp.

Kwame Dixon, his wife, Dawn, and their son went separate ways that morning. In the afternoon, Bryce called his parents.

“He told me he got a scholarship offer,” Kwame Dixon said. “You know how kids are. I thought he might be kidding. But he told me they took him to meet with (N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren). I thought, ‘Well, I guess he did get a scholarship.’”

It turns out Bryce hadn’t been spending all his time lounging around after all.

Bryce had hit the weights in the offseason and put on 20 pounds since the Wolfpack coaches had last seen him. Suddenly, he was no longer viewed as a 6-foot-4, 205-pound wide receiver who was a step slow. He was a 6’4”, 225-pound athletic tight end.

“Coach Doeren said he knew they had been looking at me for a while, but now they were offering,” Bryce Dixon said. “I tried to act cool, but inside I was excited.”

Until then, Dixon, a Rivals.com 3-star prospect, felt fulfilling his dream to play for his favorite team growing up was out of reach. He had verbally committed to Old Dominion, which in 2014 had moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

“You think about going away to college,” Bryce said. “But when I had a chance to stay home, I wanted to give back to my parents for all they’ve done. They can drive 40 minutes to see me play at N.C. State instead of four hours.”

Bryce will enroll early as a December graduate and take part in spring drills.

“I feel I’m in a good position,” he said. “I’m glad to be part of this program.”

Kwame Dixon, a former North Carolina Central assistant, understood his son was a better college fit as a tight end, but his offense at Green Hope utilizes four wide receivers without a tight end.

Some fathers would have changed their offense for their son’s benefit, but Kwame Dixon stuck with the spread system he had long coached.

“He knows I’m going to put my players in the best position that helps the team win,” Kwame Dixon said. “He helps us best as a wide receiver.”

Bryce, who also has taken on a defensive role this year as an outside linebacker, says he’s always felt a good fit with the Falcons. His teammates joke that they’re happy he takes the brunt of “Coach Dixon” when he’s not happy at practice.

“That’s true,” said inside senior linebacker Eric Zimmerman. “He’s harder on him. We all know he deserves to play. He puts in the work and does everything we need to be a good team. (Coach Dixon) doesn’t show favoritism.”

Through seven games, Bryce has caught 30 passes for 470 yards and five touchdowns. He grabbed five balls for 73 yards and two TDs in a 28-6 win over Jordan and five for 135 yards and two scores in a 29-18 victory over Cardinal Gibbons.

One more example of how Bryce’s N.C. State recruitment dovetailed nicely was last spring, when Kwame Dixon asked Wolfpack offensive coordinator Matt Canada for advice.

He wanted tips on how to overcome defenses focused on his lone returning skill player to earn all-league honors in 2014. That’s Bryce, a first-team All-Southwest Wake Athletic Conference pick as a junior with 879 yards receiving.

“It turned out we use a lot of the same terminology,” Kwame Dixon said. “Bryce will know it when he gets there.”

It’s a good thing he got off the couch when he did.

This story was originally published October 19, 2015 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Green Hope’s Bryce Dixon thrilled for football future at NC State."